BYU-Hawaii students who have accomplished obtaining a full scholarship said setting goals, having the right attitude, study routines and prioritizing are some of the techniques to not only maintain high GPA scores but also improve students’ essential knowledge and skills.
Jade Cheng, a junior TESOL major from Hong Kong, said her aspirations to be a speech therapist keeps her driven to maintain her 4.0 GPA. “To be honest, because of the scholarship, I feel good for getting A’s.”
From her experience, Cheng said one tip is to take interesting classes. “I don’t think I’ve taken any classes that I had no interest in. In biology, it was really hard for me, I barely got an A. But I love learning about the human body. I love the nutrition part of science. What really helped me be motivated in those hard classes was to find something relevant to me and how I can apply that knowledge.”
Other advice she gave was to settle on a time and place to focus on studying. “The most efficient study time is that first hour. So give your best into that hour. The location of the study is important too. Some people work better at home, and some people do better at the library or some other places - or individually or with friends.”
To international students, Cheng said, “Don’t be afraid of seeking help from teachers and work with them.”
Ty Whitaker, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry from California, said having a good GPA should be motivated by learning - not by getting a good grade. “I think there are people who are in school because they want a job in the future, but they don’t actually care about what they’re learning about. Whereas me, I am interested in what I’m learning about, so it would be easy to remember and apply it.”
With this mentality, Whitaker said he is better able to set himself up for the future. “Actually, back in high school, I didn’t have really good GPA because I didn’t try really hard. But now in my classes, I like learning about that stuff. I want to be a chemical engineer. Since I was a little kid, I kind of wanted to invent stuff so I’m working on becoming an engineer.”
Antonio Cardona, a senior studying business management from Guatemala, said his dream career is to become an owner and CEO of his own fashion company. To achieve that goal, he said he strives to maintain a desirable educational transcript.
Cardona said prioritizing has been his strength in getting a better GPA. “If you want to maintain your GPA, just prioritize what needs to be done first and go from there. I set my time for when to go do my homework and when to have fun.”
“Also, mornings are the best to do homework because your brain isn’t tired. If you need a break, take a break, and you will be more efficient after.”
However, Cardona stressed that GPA is not the only reflection of knowledge of type of student a person is. “The GPA doesn’t really matter. My dad told me, ‘You can be the smartest kid, but if you aren’t responsible for what you need to do, you aren’t going anywhere.’”
Writer: Gosuke Kawano